A Snake of June (2004) Movie Review

Shinya Tsukamoto is one of the most interesting and challenging director/writer/actor working in world cinema today. Best known for his cyberpunk “Tetsuo” films, he is a man truly dedicated to his vision, and is one of the few artists who use the cinematic medium as a tool of discourse and...

September 3rd, 2004 | Read More

Doppelganger (2003) Movie Review

Kiyoshi Kurosawa has built an impressive reputation as one of the best Japanese genre directors of recent years. His films, such as “Kairo” and “Cure”, tend to deal with the supernatural, or more accurately, the unexplainable, though with a focus on its psychological effects on...

August 30th, 2004 | Read More

Kichiku (1997) Movie Review

Probably the most amazing thing about “Kichiku” is not the amount of gore, but the fact that it was made by a third year college student name Kazuyoshi Kumakiri, whose skill at depicting the deterioration of a group belies his inexperience. But the film’s main flaw is that the director...

August 29th, 2004 | Read More

Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla 2 (1993) Movie Review

For Godzilla’s 20th film, Toho brought the old stalwart MechaGodzilla out of mothballs to serve as the Big G’s adversary. This could be problematic, as MechaGodzilla has appeared in two previous films and two more since. Surprisingly, the result is not the stale monster rehash you’d...

August 28th, 2004 | Read More

Dead End Run (2003) Movie Review

“Dead End Run”, the latest work from director Sogo Ishii, continues in the vein of “Electric Dragon 80,000v”, with its bursts of madness, rather than his samurai epic “Gojoe”. As with the former, “Dead End Run” is likely to polarize viewer opinion, as some...

August 28th, 2004 | Read More

Entrails of a Beautiful Woman (1986) Movie Review

How on earth do you follow a film like “Entrails of a Virgin”? Surprising no one, director Gaira took the logical route and came up with “Entrails of a Beautiful Woman”. Genius. Even those who haven’t seen the original should have a good idea what to expect given the title...

August 26th, 2004 | Read More

Entrails of a Virgin (1986) Movie Review

What do you get for the exploitation fan that’s seen everything? Actually, that question might be better unanswered, but should the situation arise, consider “Entrails of a Virgin”. Although showing its age after nearly 20 years, this archetypal sleaze film from Japan still has the...

August 26th, 2004 | Read More

Hypnosis (aka The Hypnotist, 1999) Movie Review

Hypnotism has a long history of being used as a plot device in cinema. Recently it was featured in several Asian “I see ghosts”-type films as a cheap explanation for supernatural occurrences. However, there aren’t all that many films about hypnotism itself, and so “Hypnosis”...

August 23rd, 2004 | Read More

A.li.ce (1999) Movie Review

While the title isn’t exactly original, the premise certainly is. “A.li.ce” is an all-CGI feature and it’s a fairly impressive looking movie that gets points for innovative thinking. While not in the same class as other, more advanced computer animated films, “A.li.ce”...

August 22nd, 2004 | Read More

Appleseed (2004) Movie Review

“Appleseed” is a mixture of CGI and traditional anime, and is based upon an early manga by Masamune Shirow, creator of the seminal “Ghost in the Shell” and its sequel, “Innocence”, amongst others. The comic had previously been adapted for the screen back in 1988 as...

August 19th, 2004 | Read More

Gonin 2 (1996) Movie Review

It’s difficult to say why writer/director Takashi Ishii (”Freeze Me”) decided to do a sequel to “Gonin”. While the original was a hit, moviegoers weren’t exactly rioting in the streets for a sequel, so the idea is probably as wise as letting Eminem grand marshal a...

August 17th, 2004 | Read More

Rainy Dog (1997) Movie Review

(Movie Review by Bill Paterson) Upon viewing the two films following “Shinjuku Triad Society”, it became clear to me that this is not exactly a trilogy. Not anymore than, say, three wacky ’80s movies starring those Corey tools would be a trilogy. Search out alternative opinions on...

August 17th, 2004 | Read More

Wings of Honneamise (1987) Movie Review

(Movie Review by Erick Kwon) It’s a bit of cheat, but reviewers will use analogies to describe movies simply because it’s the quickest way to get the point across. Hence, “Volcano High” is “The Matrix” meets “Harry Potter”, and “The Matrix”...

August 16th, 2004 | Read More

Patlabor: The Movie 3 (WXIII) (2002) Movie Review

(Movie Review by Erick Kwon) Nearly a decade after “Patlabor: The Movie 2″ comes “W(asted)XIII,” the long-awaited third Patlabor feature. Like its predecessors, “WXIII” is a science-fiction/thriller set in a semi-futuristic world where human-piloted robots (or “labors”)...

August 15th, 2004 | Read More

A Living Hell (2002) Movie Review

Although “A Living Hell” came out several years ago in Japan, the film has only recently been gathering word of mouth in the West as a “must see” cult item. Comparisons have been made with other Eastern films such as “Audition” and Western films like “The Texas...

August 12th, 2004 | Read More

Godzilla 1985 (1984) Movie Review

After a nine year hiatus Godzilla stages a stunning comeback that restores his title as King of the Monsters. The filmmakers of “Godzilla 1985″ wisely ignored the 15 films made since the original “Godzilla”, ditching the excess baggage the other films brought in favor of a direct...

August 11th, 2004 | Read More

Evil Dead Trap (1988) Movie Review

With the ever-increasing list of Asian films being remade by Hollywood, it’s easy to forget how the West has influenced Eastern cinema. For every Americanized “Ring” or “Dark Water”, there are films like “So Close”, “Bloody Beach”, and the countless...

August 11th, 2004 | Read More

Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth (1992) Movie Review

The title of this Godzilla offering is a bit misleading. It makes it seem like Godzilla and Mothra are teaming up to save the planet, when in reality the two are still beating the crap out of each other in Japan and ignoring the rest of the world. Still, the film is fun to watch, and should be given...

August 10th, 2004 | Read More

Shinjuku Triad Society (1995) Movie Review

(Movie Review by Bill Paterson) I have to admit I was a Miike virgin prior to watching the DVD debut of “Shinjuku Triad Society.” From all I’d heard and read about the director’s visceral style, I expected to have the dry heaves before the half-hour mark. I should point out that...

August 5th, 2004 | Read More

Godzilla vs King Ghidorah (1991) Movie Review

This entry in the popular monster series is a disappointing and flawed effort unworthy of the “Godzilla” name. Rampantly anti-Western and entirely unoriginal, “Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah” also makes the huge mistake of relegating its main star to the film’s third act. Instead...

August 4th, 2004 | Read More